Heart Strings
by thecrablord
Summary: You go to a party with your roommate Tenten and meet the marionettist who would pull your heart strings. But sometimes love doesn't go as smoothly as you expect it to. Modern AU, everyone's in college and most of them have Youtube channels. Kankuro x Reader with slight reader x Kimimaro. M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

You stood in front of the mirror, putting on the finishing touches of your doll face paint. Tenten knocked on the bathroom door.

"(Y/N)! Hurry up, we want to get there soon!" Tenten said. "Lee and Neji are already there!"

"I'll be out in a second!" you replied, brushing out your long blonde wig before putting it on. You stood back and admired your work. You looked just like a ceramic doll, your (s/c) skin looking smooth and your lashes stretching out over your big (e/c) eyes. You opened the door and posed. Tenten smiled and gave you two thumbs up. She grabbed you by the hands and led you out the front door. The party was only a block away, so the two of you walked. As your Mary Janes clumped on the sidewalk you grew anxious in the pit of your stomach. This wasn't your first party, no, but this was the first time it wasn't just you and your friends there.

You finally reached your destination after about 5 minutes of walking. You pushed open the door to your friend's house. The friend in question spotted you from amongst the crowd and hurdled a couch to get to you at the door.

"Hey Tenten! Hey (Y/N)! Glad you could make it, and nice costumes!"

"Thanks, Naruto. Yours is interesting," you replied. He put his hands on his hips confidently and let out a chuckle.

"Thanks, I'm dressed as Mayor Sarutobi."

"Of course you are," Tenten said with a laugh. Naruto crossed his arms and made a frumpy expression. You shook your head with a smile and pushed past the two of them, assuming they would both disperse into the crowd on their own.

As you squeezed through the throngs of people, music pulsing in your ears, you tried to place everyone in their costumes. You saw your friend Kiba dressed as a dog. What you found funnier though, is that he had brought his dog Akamaru wearing a tiny version of his signature jacket and little doggy shoes. As you stepped out, heading towards him to say hi, somebody in a mummy costume tripped next to you with a dramatic cry.

"Lee?" you asked with surprise as you lifted your foot, releasing the wrap trapped underneath. The man in question shot up and turned to face you with a big grin.

"(Y/N)! Oh, it is so good to see you here!" he said with a slur. You smiled and shook your head with a chuckle.

"Lee, have you been drinking?" you asked. His ears got redder as he nodded with a dopey smile. You rolled your eyes and patted his shoulder. "C'mon champ, let's get you laying down somewhere." You put his arm over your shoulder and headed towards the couch where Neji was sitting. When you finally made it you laid your friend down and told Neji to 'make sure he doesn't get into any trouble' to which he nodded curtly. _"My turn to drink now,"_ you thought. You headed over to the table strewn with snacks and different drink mixers. You went simple and started with a fuzzy navel.

It didn't take much after that.

You walked aimlessly around the party, engaging in conversations you forget about immediately after you move on to the next one. As you sober up and your mind starts to come back to you, you find yourself in a conversation with Kiba on a couch in the back of the house. You realize Akamaru is sitting between you and he's licking your hand. You look around the room at all the people as your friend is talking about his thriving YouTube channel. From across the room you spotted someone in a costume very similar to yours. Painted on doll joints, shaggy hair, raggedy clothes- his costume was basically the same as yours!

"Hold on Kiba," you slurred, "I gotta go tell this guy the business."

"Woah woah woah, that's my friend Kankuro!"

"You know him?"

"Yeah, you're probably thinking he's a doll, but he's not he's a puppet. Dude loves puppets. Do you want me to introduce you?"

You pondered on it for a moment. You do really like puppets, your favorite channel on YouTube is a man putting on puppet shows. So you shrugged it off and nodded to your friend. As you approached Kankuro you started to notice his features. His sharp eyes pierced into you from afar and a smile made its way onto his face. Kiba put his arm up for a high five and Kankuro obliged.

"Hey man! This chick here fuckin' loves puppets dude so I thought I'd introduce you two. (Y/N), Kankuro. Kankuro, (Y/N)." Kiba gestured as he introduced you. Kankuro held up his drink and nodded with a smile.

"So you're a puppet too?" Kankuro asked. You shook your head and gestured to the sides of your mouth.

"No mouth lines. I'm one of those ceramic dolls that everybody thinks are evil."

"Ohh, yeah I see it! I like the joints on your knees, nice work. Airbrush?"

"Nah, tights." You pulled at the sheer fabric over your legs. By this point Kiba had dipped out of the conversation to get back to his furry friend. As the two of you talked drifting from the costumes to makeup to puppets you learned more. However as the two of you continued to drink the conversation grew more intimate. You talked about embarrassing moments in your lives leading to embarrassing sex stories which led to kinks.

And of course this finally led you to his house.


	2. Chapter 2

When you arrived at his house you practically ran down the door. You didn't have a chance though because he pressed your back into it, kissing you deeply as he fumbled with his keys in the lock. The door swung open behind you and you grabbed onto his shoulders, never breaking apart from his lips. The two of you being the drunk horny college kids you were couldn't even make it to the bedroom and flopped onto the couch together, a mess of grabbing limbs and pounding hearts.

You pushed him off of your mouth gently and he attacked your neck with kisses. "Are you sure about this?" you said, half sputter half purr. "Nobody's gonna walk in on us?"

"My brother and sister are still at the party," he panted into your neck before biting down and sucking hard, leaving a dark red hickey. You were content with that answer and let him have at it, grabbing at the back of his shirt and pulling it up towards his neck. He took the hint and pulled it off in a fluid motion, flinging it across the room. He thrust his hands under your dress but got lost in the hoop skirt and petticoats.

"Here, uh…" you said as he paused, getting up and unzipping the back of your dress, dropping it to the floor and jumping back onto him in your bra and pantyhose. You continued to kiss, heated and sloppy. Grabbing each other's hair and biting lips playfully. He pushed you off onto the opposite side of the couch roughly and kissed you deep, reaching around your back and trying to undo your bra. When he found there was no clasp he broke the kiss and pulled away, sitting on his haunches and staring at you in confusion. You stared back, equally confused.

"Where's your bra clasps?" He asked, looking down ashamed.

"Oh!" You brought shaky hands up to the front of your bra and undid the snap-and-slide clasp. "It's uh. It's a front clasp."

Kankuro stared at you as if you had just unveiled the secrets to life. It was a rather awkward sight. This man sitting in between your legs, staring with his jaw agape and his excitement pressing into your thigh. You couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head and looked at you.

"Why are you laughing at me?" he asked. You took a moment to calm yourself and you put a hand on his cheek.

"Guys are cute when they don't know about girl stuff but you're like, _really_ cute."

Kankuro smiled with a huff and a head shake and he pounced on you, kissing you passionately and grinding into you. You let out a loud moan without a care in the world. He grabbed a hold of your breast and kneaded it roughly, pushing the cup of your bra away and rolling your nipple between his fingers. A small mewl escaped your throat at the sensation, but it didn't last long as he ran his hands down your sides and pulled at your tights.

Not a second later, the front door flew open and a voice cried out. "Kankuro, I'm home!" The two of you scrambled for your clothes. You pulled up your tights quickly, ripping a hole in the hip. You cursed under your breath as you heard footsteps coming closer. Kankuro scooped up your dress and shoes and thrust them into your arms, pushing you towards the back door.

"Real sorry about this, hopefully I'll see you again," he said with a wink as he shut the door behind you.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since the party and thus far nobody but Ten-ten has found out about your little fling with Kankuro, not even Kiba knew. The only reason she knew is because she was your roommate and who else would see you drunkenly running across the street in your underwear and trying to get into your apartment through the unlocked window? Thankfully though she hasn't told anyone. You've been trying not to think about it.

You lay across the couch, watching videos on your laptop. You thought to yourself, _"Y'know, makeup tutorials are really popular right now. Maybe I'll watch some?"_ So you scrolled through the search results and you found a stream about to start by SandyBoiMakeup. You're not sure how you feel about learning makeup from a man, but then again he probably has to know what he's doing if he's so popular. So you click the thumbnail and join the room. In it you find people commenting in the live chat about how excited they are to see what look he's going to go for this month, and how for Halloween he was a wood puppet.

" _Huh,"_ you thought, _"That guy at the party was a wood puppet. He probably watched the tutorial."_ You thought this was a completely reasonable explanation.

Until the stream started.

You heard that familiar voice and saw that familiar smile come across your computer. There Kankuro was, greeting the crowd and answering a few questions. That's when somebody asked about the hickeys on his neck. The blush spread across his plump cheeks quickly. More and more questions flooded in the chat asking for details.

"That's enough you guys this is a stream about makeup not about my personal life. It was just a fling anyway, nobody important."

You shut your laptop. You shut your eyes and sighed.

"'Nobody important' huh? Whatever, I love myself and that's all I need."

"Right on, girlfriend!" Ten-ten said as she entered the living room. You exchanged smiles and she sat by your feet. "Hey, I'm about to go to the store. Why don't you come with me? Take your mind off things." You thought about the offer for a moment. It probably was a good idea to go out and do things, you haven't done anything all week.

"Yeah, I'm going to get dressed real quick though."

You went into your room and undressed in front of your closet, looking for something comfortable. You slipped on a pair of fitted jeans and a loose tank top. And you know what? You felt good today! You stepped into the bathroom and put on a bit of eyeliner and mascara. You reentered the living room and you and Ten-ten walked out to your car to head out.

You arrived at the store and drifted through the aisles one by one. Suddenly you remembered that you needed to grab something from a previous aisle, so you ran back to get it.

Unfortunately, you bumped into that familiar face for the second time that day. He knocked you right on your ass and you shook your head before you looked up and realized just who it was. For a moment, you were frozen in shock. For the next moment, you were scrambling to stand up and get the hell out of dodge. You felt a hand gently grasp your wrist. You looked at the man responsible and he stared at you with wide eyes. You both held eye contact for what felt like ever, too shy to say anything.

Kankuro started. "Hey, uh. This is probably really weird for you." You nodded in confirmation and he nodded while looking away. "I don't really know what to say but. I'd really like to get together again?"

"You don't mean like…"

"Oh! No! No. I mean like, for coffee. I've been thinking about you."

"I can't say I haven't been thinking of you, but I can say I've been trying not to."

Kankuro chuckled nervously. He shifted his basket to his other hand and rubbed his shoulder. "I understand if you don't want to see me again. It was really awkward and I kicked you out of my house but I really had a good time with you."

"I was in your stream earlier," you said flatly. Kankuro looked at you with surprise.

"I didn't mean what I said. It wasn't just a fling it- it meant something to me! Nobody's ever…" he stopped for a moment and looked at you sheepishly. "Nobody's ever made me feel the way you do."

You blushed and looked at your feet. "I'll admit, I really like you. I guess I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee." Kankuro smiled at you.

"Alright, well I won't keep you much longer. Meet me at The Bean around noon tomorrow?" You nodded curtly. "Perfect. See you then (Y/N)," he said. With a wink and a click of the tongue, he left you standing in the middle of the aisle.


	4. Chapter 4

As far as things go, the smell of coffee was one of the things that relaxed you most. Yet as you sat at the table waiting for your date, it made you anxious instead. You checked your watch; he was running late. _"Or am I just early?"_ you thought to yourself. As the time ticked on, doubt started to grow in your mind. _"Maybe I really was just 'nobody important'."_ You sat staring into your coffee, and noticed in the reflection a familiar face rest on your shoulder.

"Hey, glad to see you made it," you said as you looked up. You bumped noses from the sudden turn. You both let out an 'oop!' and laughed lightly. Kankuro pulled back with a smile and sat across from you at the table.

"Sorry I was late, I hope I didn't worry you too much did I?" he asked with a cock of the head.

"No, not at all! I just figured you were taking your time to look good for me,"

"Wings like these take time, baby" he said, batting his eyelashes. You smiled and sipped your coffee. A server stopped at your table.

"Can I have a hazelnut coffee, light and sweet?" Kankuro asked. The server nodded and left, returning only a moment later with the coffee and placing it in front of your date.

"You don't really come off as the type to drink white coffee to me," you said with a playful smile.

"And you don't come off as the type to drink black coffee," he retorted.

You pursed your lips and peered at him through your lashes as you dipped a biscotti in your drink. He stuck his tongue out and made a silly face at you. You both laughed a little bit and sat quietly for a moment, enjoying the atmosphere and the warmth of your drinks.

"This is usually the part where you tell me about yourself," you said, setting your drink aside and resting your elbows on the table.

"I think you learned enough about me at the party," he said as he mimicked your gesture.

"If you think almost getting caught naked on your couch by your sister is getting to know you, then yeah I think I know you pretty well." Kankuro mock-winced at your words.

"Well, as you already know, I do youtube makeup tutorials and I've been at that for a few years now. Recently reached half a million subscribers actually." You nodded as you listened. "I do have another channel though, but it's not as popular. It's called Marionette Theater. Probably not your thing."

You almost choked on your coffee. "Are you kidding?! I love Marionette Theater! That's you?!" you stared at him with wide eyes and an even wider smile.

"You bet! Wow this is great, it's not everyday you meet someone who isn't afraid of puppets that aren't Big Bird or Kermit"

"I actually hated puppets growing up! My dad was a ventriloquist and I _hated_ his dummy so much. But one day he pulled out a chest of all his older puppets and I fell in love with his marionettes. He made me my own when I was 13 and I still have her to-date." Calming down from your gushing, you blushed when you noticed Kankuro staring at you with a soft expression, a twinkle in his eye.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see her some time. I've got a collection myself if you're interested," he said.

"Why don't we go now?" you asked with a smile.

Kankuro returned the smile. "I'd love that."


	5. Chapter 5

You awoke in the morning with a warm feeling through your body. The rays of the sun shone through your window and golden light filled your room. You felt a hand slip around your waist from in front of you. You fluttered your eyes open and found Kankuro watching you with that same soft expression. For a moment everything hung still as you stared into each other's eyes. A thought occurred to you and you felt your heart stop.

The color drained from your face and you asked, "We didn't- Did we-?"

"N-no!"

You looked down and found your bodies still in your clothes from yesterday. You let out a sigh of relief and let your body relax. You closed your eyes once more and the man in front of you pulled you closer to his chest.

"It must've gotten pretty late, I don't usually just fall asleep like that," you said, embarrassed. Kankuro brushed a lock of hair out of your eyes and smiled.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he said before placing a kiss to your forehead. "I have to get home though. My siblings might talk."

You nodded. "I understand. Don't worry if you bump into Ten-ten, she already knows what's up."

"Oh, already telling people about me are you?" Kankuro said with a smirk.

"Actually, she caught me breaking into the apartment in my underwear," you retorted with equal sass. He shoved you playfully.

"Alright, you." You giggled at his flustered expression as he stood up. "So uh, hey. Maybe we could get together again tomorrow? Somewhere a little more… sensual?"

You blushed and nervously twirled a lock of your hair. "Yeah, I think I'd like that." Kankuro winked at you as he left the room.

A moment later, as you heard the front door shut, Ten-ten appeared in your doorway and leaned on the doorframe. The two of you shared a knowing glance and your blush thickened. The two of you exploded into a squealing fit and she jumped on your bed.

"Ten-ten what am I gonna do?!" you asked, trying not to laugh. "He's inviting me to his house to- to- _you know!_ "

"Well let's just hope you two don't get interrupted this time, yeah?" she said with a teasing grin. You punched her arm and pursed your lips.

"If we're on his couch again I'm gonna be forced to wonder if he even has a room in that house."

Ten-ten bust out laughing. "What if he's got a huge puppet collection! Not like a small shelf of them I mean like, a room full."

"He's not a freak, Ten-ten."

"You're sure?"

You thought for a moment, your friend watching your face closely. As you counted in your head the amount of different puppets you've seen on his channel, you gasped and covered your mouth.

"Oh my god he _is_ a puppet freak. What if I go in his room and there's puppets everywhere?! Ten-ten!" The two of you laughed so hard you cried and held your stomachs.

"(Y/N)! (Y/N) listen. What you do is- what you, snrrk, what you do is you take one of his puppets and you put on a sexy puppet show!"

"Ten-ten this is serious!"

"Okay okay okay. I'm fairly sure he's not a weirdo, so you should be good just. Be yourself and do what comes naturally."

"Well hopefully that'll be me"

Ten-ten patted your back. "That's the spirit!"


	6. Chapter 6

You let out a heavy sigh as you got out of the shower. You had spent all day pampering yourself and had just gotten Kankuro's text that the house was empty whenever you were ready to head over. When you stepped into your room you noticed a little pink box sitting on your bed. Next to it was a note that read:

" _(Y/N), I ran out to get this for you this morning. I thought your boyfriend might appreciate it. With love, Ten-ten."_

You crumpled up the note and tossed it at your overflowing trash can.

"He's not my boyfriend," you mumbled to yourself as you pulled the garments from the box. It was a matching bra and panty set inside; it was purple with black ruffles and a layer of lace over the cups. To be fair, you were rather fond of it- but you were still flustered that your roommate thought it was so momentous for you to be getting laid again that you needed special under-attire. None-the-less, you put it on. Looking at yourself in the mirror, your eyes went wide. It fit perfectly, you looked stunning. However Ten-ten found out your size, you didn't care. You put on some sheer black thigh highs to start and dug through your closet. Something comfortable, but still sexy. You grabbed a black skater skirt and an oversized grey sweater. "Cute and fun, and leaves almost everything to the imagination," you said to yourself. You put your hair in a braid while it was still wet and went to put on your makeup. Something simple, yet cute. You went for a subtle yet striking eye look and muted red lipstick. When you were done your hair was dry and you let your braid out into beautiful waves. You threw on some wedges that matched your lips and braced yourself.

You were ready.

And then, it came down to that anxious moment. You were there, standing at his door, fist in the air ready to knock. You took a deep breath in and a quick breath out. You knocked on the door and waited not-so-patiently. When Kankuro answered the door your heart stopped. He was only in a v-neck and skinny jeans, but he pulled it off so well. You both blushed when you saw each other. He cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly.

"Hey. Come in," he said as he stepped out of the way and pulled the door open a bit more. He led you to his bedroom and you held your breath as he opened the door. When you stepped inside, it was neat and the bed was well made. There was a trunk and a miniature stage on top in the far corner but otherwise there was no sign of puppets. You discreetly let out your breath and smiled when he took your hand. He walked over to his bed and grabbed a remote, gesturing to the bed with his free hand. You sat down and swung your legs over, getting comfortable and leaving him some space on the outer side. Netflix popped up on his TV as he sat next to you and put his arm around your shoulders. Blush dusted your cheeks as you leaned into him slightly.

"So," he said suddenly, snapping you out of your daze. "What are you in the mood for?" His eyes were on you, sharp yet gentle. You felt warm under his gaze.

"I've never seen Titanic. That's… romantic, right?" You pulled your eyes down to your lap in embarrassment. Kankuro took your hand in his and smiled softly.

"Yeah, I'd say so. I like that idea."

And so you put on Titanic and made it halfway through when the infamous drawing scene came onto the screen. The tension made your heart pound and your eyes were glued to the screen. You jumped slightly when you felt Kankuro's hand slip down to your arm and rub gently. It was so sudden he jumped as well and the two of you ended up turning your heads, finding yourselves nose to nose. You held eye contact, and felt the warmth in your cheeks spread up to your ears. Kankuro swallowed hard and slowly raised the remote, switching the TV off. He set the remote down and brought his hand up to the side of your head and ran his fingers into your hair as he pulled you into a gentle kiss.

Your eyes fluttered shut as you felt your whole body melt into the kiss. It started out slow and soft. Gentle, yet passionate. Your hands were shaking but you let them drift up his torso and into his hair. You sat up and put a leg over him, nervously straddling his hips. Pulling apart and looking at each other with flustered expressions, Kankuro let out a sheepish chuckle.

"Thank god for tight jeans, am I right?" he said, his cheeks turning pink. You blushed to the roots of your hair and covered your face. A nervous laugh escaped his lips and he gently took your hands and brought them down. "Hey, we don't have to do anything if you're uncomfortable."

You shook your head. "I really do want to, Kankuro. It's just been such a long time…" you trailed off at the end and let out a sigh. Kankuro stroked your cheek.

"Then just let me lead."

With that he pulled you back into a kiss. It was gentle at first, slowly growing more passionate. His fingers tangled in your hair softly, pulling gently to give him more access to your neck. Planting soft kisses across your jaw and down your neck to your collarbone and, finally, reaching your soft spot. He teased you, gingerly pecking and nipping at the spot that made you squirm and whimper. He licked back up your neck and sucked on your earlobe, nipping gently and swirling his tongue. Soft squeaks escaped your throat and your hips rocked back and forth involuntarily. He brought his hands down to your hips and slid them under your sweater. The sensation of his warm hands on your cold body sent a shiver up your spine and he smirked as he helped you slide out of the sweater. Once more, you found him staring at you with that soft expression. You blushed and turned your head away.

"Don't be shy, (Y/N). You're gorgeous…" he said in a hushed tone. He took your chin in his fingers and gently turned you to look at him. You smiled sheepishly and leaned in to kiss him to which he obliged with a smirk. You felt your skin tingle as he ran his hands up your sides and slide over the soft skin of your ribs to the back of your bra, undoing it with ease. His hands explored relentlessly, leaving trails of fire on your cold skin and lighting up the fire in your core. Feeling brave, you leaned in close to his ear and nibbled.

"Kankuro…" you whispered. He shivered and let out a breathy moan. You pulled back and the two of you shared a knowing look. Rolling off of his lap, the two of you awkwardly began to undress yourselves, completely forgetting how to undress each other. The once neat floor was now strewn with your clothes- all of them. You swallowed hard as the both of you took in the sight of each other. His chest was beautifully toned and his stomach was pale and soft. His piercing black eyes met yours and he blushed. You laid next to him and pulled him into a kiss, rolling onto your back and leaving him propped up on an elbow beside you. You took his free hand with your own trembling hand and pulled it between your legs. For a moment he was shocked at your advance before chuckling and kissing you deeply. You parted your lips and let him explore your mouth while his fingers gently massaged your clit in small circles. Your back arched as fire pumped through your veins.

"Is this what you like, baby?" he moaned into your mouth. You nodded, needy. "Would you like it better if I went in?" A breathy groan escaped your throat, almost resembling a 'yes.' "Say please," he teased.

"Please, Kankuro, please!" you whimpered. That was enough for him and he kissed you deeper as he put two fingers in slowly, keeping his thumb pressed to your button. You writhed under him in pleasure as he pumped his fingers in and out, curling them on the exit to hit your g-spot. "F-faster, please," you begged. He didn't hesitate and your hips bucks. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him deep into the kiss, biting his lip as squeaks and groans bubbled from your core. You were getting closer, and closer, and almost there when he stopped and pulled his fingers out of you.

You groaned and looked at him with anticipation as he shifted himself and settled between your thighs, positioning himself at your entrance. You made eye contact for a moment, and in that brief second you made a decision. You trusted him. He put one hand next to your head and with his other took your hand in his and pressed it into the mattress.

You gave him a nod and he nodded back before closing his eyes and entering you slowly. You both let out your breath, letting the tense feelings release and be replaced by euphoria. You bit your lip as he tightened his grip on your hand and began to thrust. It was slow and gentle, picking up speed at your request. He leaned down and kissed you roughly as he pounded into you, bringing a hand down to your hip and using his thumb to rub your clit.

"I'm so close- Say my name, baby!" he groaned.

"K-Kankuro!" you cried. You were getting close again and you grew louder. Suddenly your vision went white and you exploded with moans, crying your lovers name over and over as your whole body tensed and trembled. Not five seconds later, Kankuro pulled you close to him as he let himself go inside of you, filling you with a hot sticky feeling.

He collapsed to the side of you, the two of you panting hard trying to catch your breath. You felt a hand take yours and you closed your eyes. You rolled over to cuddle Kankuro, and the last thing you felt before falling asleep was a kiss on the forehead.


End file.
